Effect of Temperature upon Fe-Mg Composition of Garnet in Pelitic System

Garnet is an essential phase in a wide range of metamorphic grades. Ratios of Fe and Mg concentrations in garnet have been widely used as a geothermometer for the crystallization, cooling rate and tectonic uplift rate because garnets in natural rocks always show a variety of Fe-Mg compositional partition. Normally, Fe-Mg concentrations of natural garnets vary widely and the Fe-Mg exchange reactions usually occur in a complex chemical system. Effect of pressure and temperature on Fe-Mg compositions of garnet in natural pelitic system was studied experimentally at temperatures of 700 to 780 ℃ and pressures from 21 to 29.4 kbar. The concentrations of FeO and MgO of garnet in the run products showed a linear relation with experimental temperatures. The result provided experimental evidence of Fe-Mg partition trend with temperature in a complex natural rock and therefore improved our understanding in the determinations of metamorphic temperature calculated by garnet geothermometer. Although the accurate geological application of our results requires the knowledge of the effects of other components upon [D(Mg)] and [D(Fe)] which is largely unknown currently, the data provided in this study are useful to build the relation between FeO-MgO contents and temperature, which is useful in the metamorphic temperatures determine of rocks with pelitic composition.